Never before has the issue of drink spiking been so rife as it is now especially for holidaymakers. A WA teenager experienced this first hand while on holiday in Indonesia. Sadly 19 year old Liam Davies lost his life while celebrating News Years 2013 after an alcoholic drink he was given had been laced with methanol, the boy was in Lombok on holiday at the time.

Read what this post had to say on TheAustralian.com.au:

“RIP LIAM!!! You lived a good life. It was good to know you. May you rest in peace and live on in our hearts…you were taken too quickly from this world and we’ll see each other in the afterlife,” wrote a young woman.

“So sad to hear the tragic death of our friend Liam Davies. Heart goes out to his family and friends,” wrote another friend.

On Friday, Liam’s family released a statement, describing him as a “fun loving and active 19-year-old, who has represented his country in lacrosse and has dreams of travelling abroad to see the world.”

In their statement his family urged other Australians to be careful while travelling overseas.

“We would like to make people aware of the risks associated with consuming locally brewed drinks where you cannot be certain of the quality,” the statement said.

Methanol is a toxic chemical that is sometimes added to cheap drinks to make them more alcoholic.

In the past few days since news of tragedy broke hundreds of readers have written to PerthNow, either wishing Liam well and warning others of the risks inexperienced young travellers face, or defending or criticising the holiday island.

News of Liam’s tragic death comes following a string of similar incidents in and around Bali in the past 18 months.

Last year, prominent Perth rugby player Michael Denton died in Bali and an autopsy later ruled that the cause of his death was methanol poisoning.

Last month, a Sydney teenager was blinded after drinking a cocktail laced with methanol during schoolies celebrations in Bali.

And in June, Swedish backpacker Swede Johan Lundin, 28, was poisoned by a mojito laced with methanol on an island off Lombok.

In the last year it has been reported that at least 5 school leavers on holiday in Bali suffered methanol poisoning, but there could be a number of cases that went unreported as well.

Some of the side effects of methanol poisoning includes vomiting, headaches, gastric pain, comas, liver failure and ultimately death if not treated in time. Some cases have even involved blindness which may last a few hours or permanently.

When holidaying in Indonesia Australians should be careful about what they drink and stay away from a popular local drink called “Arak” which is actually poisonous but is popular because it is so cheap. It is a drink produced in remote villages where laws regarding alcohol production are not enforced which results in the use of methanol and other lethal chemicals.

Visitors to Indonesia who want to consume alcoholic beverages have been advised to consume a beer called Bintang beer or wine only from authorized producers because it is cheap and safer than other spirit based drinks.